* Our film festival awards over $50,000 in prizes annually.
* One of the leading smartphone film festivals in the world
* Festival Ambassadors include Phillip Noyce, Kriv Stenders, Kerry Armstrong, Nicole da Silva, Christopher Stollery, Pieter de Vries, Darlene Johnson, Anthony Kierann and Emily Prior.
* Selected films will screen at our live festival in Sydney, Australia and in our Online Festival at SF3 2024 happening November 2024.

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SF3 - the SmartFone Flick Fest is Australia’s international smartphone film festival and one of the leading and most innovative film festivals in the world.

Open to filmmakers of all ages from every country; from first-time filmmakers to professionals and from kids, tweens and teens all the way to adults. As long as your film is shot entirely on a smartphone or tablet, your film is eligible for submission. Our 2023 Festival Ambassadors were Hollywood legend Phillip Noyce, Kerry Armstrong, Christopher Stollery, Kriv Stenders, Nicole da Silva, Jason van Genderen, Anthony Kierann, Pieter de Vries, disability advocate Emily Prior, and First Nations Director/Writer, Darlene Johnson. Our esteemed judging panel consists of the cream of the Australian and Hollywood film industries all here to celebrate mobile and tablet filmmaking.

We have 6 categories in 2024. They are:

1. The SF3 Best Film for short films 20 mins and under. The films must be entirely shot on smartphones or tablets, with the exception that a very minimal amount of Drone footage is allowed. The films can be edited on any device and with any program and external equipment like lenses and mics can be used. Within this category we will also award the #FILMBREAKER Award for first-time filmmakers and the Luma Touch Finished on Mobile Award for films both shot and edited on a mobile device as additional prizes. The Official Selection from this category will be screened in our 2024 Gala Finals and will vie for our top festival prizes.

2. The SF3 Best Feature Film. This is for feature films shot entirely on smartphones and tablets. A minimal amount of drone footage is allowed. Films must be a minimum of 30 mins and no maximum.

3. The SF3 Kids Award for filmmakers 18 and under at the time of filming. All films must be shot entirely on smartphones and tablets. A minimal amount of drone footage is allowed. The time limit is up to 10 mins. Longer kids film that are really fantastic and justify being longer will be accepted with permission from us at sf3@sf3.com.au

4. The SF3 AI Award for AI made films up to 20 mins. These films must be created on a mobile device using AI and can be any genre or topic.

5. The SF3 Mini Mobile Award is for films up to a maximum of 3 minutes in length, in any genre. The theme for our SF3 Mini 2024 is Forward. Use this as your starting point or your inspiration and interpret as you like, even as loose as you need, this is just a prompt for inspiration.

6. SF3 Social Media Video Award. This is for films, videos, skits filmed for social media and more. These videos can be public and we are looking for the best social media videos from 2024 across all apps and platforms.

Everyone has a great idea for a short film and a potential movie camera in their pocket, so no excuses. Here’s your chance to start filming and be in the running to share in over $50,000 worth of prizes awarded annually, and have your film screened on one of Australia's premiere screens in front of a global audience at our 2024 Festival this November 16th and 17th happening in Sydney, Australia, plus at the SF3 Online Virtual Festival.

Our finalist films and winning feature films will be selected from all the entries to screen at SF3 2024. Our festival will include live screenings, red-carpet events, award ceremonies, VIP party, networking events, panel discussions and masterclasses.

Our 2023 Festival was held in full venue partnership with The Actors Centre Australia in their beautiful state of the art cinema in the cultural hub of Leichardt in the Inner West of Sydney. We are passionate advocates for the showcasing of the best smartphone films from all around the world, show up on Sydney's top big screens.

Many of our past Gala and other finalist films have been invited to screen around the world at our partner film festivals including the International Mobil Film Festival in San Diego, MINA, the Dublin Smartphone Film Festival and more. The opportunities are endless for cellphone filmmakers and past entries have even been sold to streaming networks and in-flight entertainment channels.

All films MUST be shot entirely on a smartphone or tablet, meet our time requirements and you can use any editing software, apps and phone additions, and you can edit on a PC, laptop, tablet or your phone. To enter SF3 you can shoot on any mobile device: iPhone, iPad, Samsung, Oppo, Huawei or more.

So, pull your phone out of your pocket and start filming, it really is that easy!

SF3 film festival is proud to award over $50,000 worth of prizes from our amazing sponsors including prize packs from our our Major Sponsors - Luma Touch & Filmic Pro Silver partners Melodie & Accounting Heart, our Bronze Partners - Chicken & Chips Casting, Old Kempton Distillery, Polar Pro, Rubber Monkey & NIDA and prize partners Shotlister, Ink Tip, Final Draft, Screen Actors Workshop, Power Productions and Story Board Quick, the Australian Cinematographer's Society, Screen Producers Australia, the Australian Writer's Guild, Zacuto, SPA, iPitch TV, Ribbet, AFI/AACTA, Dolby, Backstage, AGSC, Star Now, Film Local, Spineless Wonders & the Actors Centre Australia as well as leading industry mentorships.

Prizes awarded: In 2024 we will be offering over 36 Awards across our 6 screenings. Here is the breakdown of awards across each screening each with a prize pack from our sponsors. Annually we give away over $50,000 worth of prizes from our generous partners including memberships, apps, lenses, microphones, classes, mentorships, a brand new iPhone and iPad and soo much more.

THE SF3 GALA AWARDS celebrating the best in smartphone filmmaking:
SF3 Best Film Award
SF3 People’s Choice Award
SF3 Best Director Award
SF3 Best Cinematography Award
SF3 & ACS Best Cinematography Runner-Up Award
SF3 Best Screenplay Award
SF3 Best Documentary Award
SF3 Best Editing Award
SF3 Best Original Score Award
SF3 Best Actress Award
SF3 Best Actor Award
SF3 & Luma Touch Finished on Mobile Award (for films both shot and edited on a mobile device)
SF3 & WIFT NSW Best Female Creative Award
SF3 First Nations Award supported by Dolby (for films made by a filmmaker that identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander)
SF3 Community & Diversity Award (for a film that is either shot by or that is about and features stories, creatives, filmmakers and actors from under-represented communities such as the LGBTQIA+ community, First Nations, Indigenous and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander filmmakers and more.)
SF3 Founders’ Flick Pick
#FILMBREAKER Award (for the most promising first-time and/or emerging filmmaker)
SF3 & Spineless Wonders Best Adaptation Awards ( one award for the author of the winning Micro Fiction and the second for the filmmaker)
SF3 Chicken & Chips Casting Award
SF3 Gala Finalists

SF3 KIDS celebrating the best mobile and tablet filmmaking by children, tweens and teens
SF3 Kids Best Film Award High School
SF3 Kids Best Film Award Primary School
SF3 Kids Best Director Award
SF3 Kids Best Cinematography Award
SF3 Kids Best Screenplay Award
SF3 Kids Best Editing Award
SF3 Kids Best Documentary Award
SF3 Kids Best Actor Award
SF3 Kids Best Actress Award
SF3 Kids Finalists

SF3 MINI Mobile Award for micro films 3 mins or less shot on cellphones
SF3 Mini Best International Film
SF3 Mini Best Australian Film
SF3 Mini Highly-Commended Awards x4
SF3 Mini Finalists

SF3 FEATURE FILM for smartphone feature films
SF3 Best Feature Film Award
SF3 Feature Film Finalists

SF3 & MINA Film Festival Official Selection Films

SF3 Best AI Film

SF3 Best Social Media Video/Film

Our SF3 film festival rules are simple:
1. Your film must be shot entirely on a smartphone or tablet, or a 360 camera for SF360. The only exception is we will allow a small amount of drone footage. The amount is discretionary but must be an insignificant amount of your film and used only sparingly.
2. Films for the SF3 Gala Finals Official Selection must be no longer than 20 minutes including titles and credits. There is no minimum time limit. Films for the SF3 Mini Mobile Category must be a max of 3 minutes. There are no minimum time limits.
3. Films for our feature film category must be a minimum of 40 minutes in length, no maximum time limit.
4. If your film is between 20-30 minutes them please write to us at sf3@sf3.com.au to discuss how you can enter and still screen at SF3 as we have screened films of this length in the past.
5. SF3 accepts any and all genres.
6. All scripts and ideas must be your original material.
7. Copyright material can only be used if you have written permission to do so, and we can ask at anytime to see this permission.
8. You can use any software or apps to edit your video and audio, and can edit on any device.
9. You can use any software for colour correction or special effects.
10. You can use external microphones, lenses, lighting, tripods, etc.
11. Your film must meet all the terms and conditions of the festival to be eligible.
12. The judges’ decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding film selections and prize winners.
13. SF3 Kids Flicks Category and Competition is for Australian and International filmmakers aged 18 years and under at the time of filming. This award is designed to nurture kids, tweens and teenage filmmakers. A kids film for the purposes of SF3 is a film who's director and/or screenwriter are 18 years or under at the time of filming. All other roles on the film, including the DOP and actors and editors may include people of all ages, however, the film must be the idea of a filmmaker 18 years and under and all concepts of editing, camera angles and all other relevant artistic choices must be primarily decided upon by the filmmaker 18 years and under who enters the film. SF3 Kids films must be a max of 10 minutes in length (there is room for longer films if they are of an exceptional standard).
14. SF3 is open to filmmakers from every country.
15. Films will be accepted from filmmakers of every age.
16. The WIFT NSW Award is for the best female creative, decided by our judges, who worked on one of our Official Selection films in a crew capacity, not limited to the producer, writer, DP, etc. The director of each film will be asked to nominate an outstanding female that worked on their film, and this can include themselves.
17. The SF3 Community Award is for a film which showcases stories, actors and/or people that are under-represented on our screens and showcases them in a moving, positive, or special way. This will be decided by our judging panel. People from CALD backgrounds, LGBTQIA+ filmmakers, First Nations and Indigenous Creatives, people living with a disability and female filmmakers are encouraged to enter.
18. The Luma Touch Finished on Mobile Award is for a smartphone film that must be both completely shot and edited on a smartphone or tablet only. You may use any editing program, but you must show us evidence that it was edited on a device; evidence includes screenshots of you editing or a short BTS of you editing the film.
19. To be eligible for the SF3 Best Feature Film Award, your film must be a Sydney public premiere, but it is allowed to have screened in other cities and countries.
20. Archival footage may be used in a very minimal amount to add context or needed substance to your film. You must email us at sf3@sf3.com.au for permission.
21. The SF3 First Nations Award supported by Dolby is open to Australian filmmakers who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
22. For the #FILMBREAKER Award, this must be your first film you've ever made or the first film that has had a public screening as we are celebrating first-time and emerging filmmakers shooting on a cellphone with this award.
23. For the SF3 & Spineless Wonders Best Adaptation Award, you must have selected and adapted one of the Micro-Fiction works from the SF3 website and you must enter this into the Micro-Fiction category. You must have shot this film on your mobile device.
24. You can shoot your film using any mobile device including iPad, iPhone, Oppo, Samsung, Huawei, Nokia, Sony, Google, any other tablet or more.
25. The AI award is for films made using AI and must be made on a mobile device but can be edited on any device.
26. The SF3 Social Media Award is for videos or films that are shot on a mobile device for social media. These can be short films, skits, video memes or anything es=lse you can think of and may be publicly screened at the time of entering. There is no time limit on these videos as we know each social platform has a different maximum length.

Check out our site for full T&C's and to ask any questions - www.sf3.com.au

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Kay Pavlou

    Amazing to be a finalist at this Festival and see my iPhone film on the big screen with a full house audience! Very satisfying indeed.

    December 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Kay, it was more amazing to have you and your film in SF3. Hope to have you back.

  • Denzel Owoo

    Very pleased to have been part of this festival. I wasn't able to attend but I felt very much a part of the festival through the consistent communication and the live broadcasts. Thank you to Angela and the entire SF3 team for making the experience worthwhile.

    December 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Denzel, thank you to you and your wonderful documentary which made a huge impact on everyone here in Sydney.

  • mark petrasso

    This must be one of the best, if not the best, film festivals in the world for films shot on mobile phones. Thank you to the director of the festival Angela Blake for this great festival.

    December 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Mark, thank you so much for this awesome review and thankyou even more for your incredibly brilliant, moving and important film. It was an honour to screen you in SF3.

  • Levi Morris

    SF3 was such an incredible experience! The communication leading up to the festival was fantastic. Angela goes above and beyond for her filmmakers making sure we were well informed of all the events taking place. She even gave me recommendations on areas to stay while in Sydney and I am so grateful for that. The festival itself was absolutely wonderful. I met so many other filmmakers and was inspired by so many of the films. I will never forget the screening of my film at SF3. The audience was so responsive from start to finish. And it was such a beautiful venue. I highly recommend this festival and encourage all to attend. Angela has such a wonderful thing happening here. Thank you for an unforgettable time!

    December 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Thank YOU for an incredible time! Your film had the best response ever and what a film!!!

  • SF3 was an incredible event to attend in person this year. I had a great time getting to know the other attendees and showing my short to a very lovely audience. The festival is incredibly well run, I would encourage anyone who has made a smartphone film to submit to SF3!

    December 2023
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    Response from festival:

    SJ, thank you. It was an honour to have you attend in person and an even bigger honour to screen your extraordinary film.